Top awards given to Renfrewshire young musician bands

Both bands are part of Renfrewshire Council’s Instrumental Music Service. Conductors JP O’Hagan and Mr Beattie supported the young people to achieve the top accolades.

Castlehead High School, Paisley, were also awarded a Gold and Gryffe High School a Silver at the festival.

Renfrewshire has a long tradition of developing young people’s musical talent. Music tuition has been free across the authority since 2017.

Instrumental music instructors support Renfrewshire pupils to learn musical instruments. This includes bagpipes, brass, guitar, percussion, strings, and woodwind.

Young people in both primary and secondary school benefit from in-school music tuition.

Young musicians showcase their talents two times a year. Concerts take place in spring and Christmas.

Niamh from Renfrewshire Schools Symphonic Wind Band said: “Playing in the Perth Concert Hall was an amazing experience to do as a group, especially when it was announced we had won Platinum, which was our goal for the year. It was a great experience for pushing us out of our comfort zone, with challenging new pieces and brought us closer together as a band. I can’t wait to find out what we will be playing next year.”

Mark, also from Renfrewshire Schools Symphonic Wind Band, added: “The band worked really hard throughout the year to give the best performance possible. At the SCBF finals in Perth, we played brilliantly. This is a great experience for aspiring musicians. It boosts our confidence as individual players and as an ensemble, especially after winning Platinum! We will continue to work hard and hopefully keep the standard up as high as platinum for the next SCBF as this is an amazing achievement.”

Connie from Renfrewshire Schools Concert Band said: “It was amazing to perform on the stage of the Perth Concert Hall. I was pleasantly surprised by the band’s Gold award.”

Councillor Emma Rodden, Education Convener for Renfrewshire Council, praised the award wins. She said: “Congratulations to our young musicians achieving Platinum and Gold national awards. This is a tremendous result for our young people and reflects their talent and dedication.

“We are proud of our long-standing commitment to making music education accessible to all. The high-quality instruction and support provided through our music service is excellent. Giving young people opportunities like this develops their confidence, creativity and teamwork. Everyone should be proud for representing Renfrewshire so successfully on the national stage.”